Life as I see it: I'm a Tree-hugging Publishing Consultant, Small Business Mentor, Practicing Writer, Cat Rescuer, DIY Addict, and Beach Dreamer

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Sunday Funny: un-stinging rejection

Earlier this week, I received a rejection letter from a submission I made a few months ago. I started reading it and then burst out laughing. Yet another editor writing me with errors making their venue appear foolish. Needless to say, I’m sharing some of them with you, perhaps you’ll find them amusing enough to cover that initial jolt if you receive a negative letter from somewhere you’ve submitted your work.

Please keep in mind many of these are minuscule errors, but to a writer they represent grave transgressions. Never would I have submitted my work to these venues if I knew they did not edit their own correspondence. I consider myself and you, forewarned…not every editor uses his/her god-given brain or spell-check!

“Dear Author, while we like your work, it doesn’t seam to fit our needs at the present time.” No? Perhaps I should alter it?

“Thank you for repaying to our magazine’s submission guidelines…” I don’t remember the initial payment…hmmm.

“Your work did not appeal to the judges…Please try again us in the future.” I certainly will, not!

“Your submission was rejected due to a lack of interest.” Does that mean not enough submissions were made or they didn’t like mine? I dunno?

“Your submission was considered and rejected. We appreciate your interest in…and hope you will not submit to us in the future.” Indeed! Your wish is my command! Can’t decide if they really wanted not in there or is it a deliberate symbol for me personally?

“The editorial bored met and have reached their conclusions for this month’s submissions…” I’ll bet they were – boring!

“We are pleased to announce the upcoming inclusions for the fall guide: and you are have not been chosen.” Too many helping verbs? Not enough actual help? Somehow I don’t think they were to ‘include’ all those choices.

and my all-time favorite:

“Your credentials are superb, but we are looking for someone with a Batchelor’s degree in Women’s Studies.” Clearly I don’t have that!

There are still others that I could list here, but you get my point…laugh while you can, and keep submitting your work!

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64 thoughts on “Sunday Funny: un-stinging rejection”

The editorial staff at Ralph’s has opened your envelope. They had to paws for a while as they had to empty the kitty and go out and buy milk. On reading your attached litter, Tom the Chief Editor, while prowling around the office said your submission is purrfect for our magazine. However the right hand corner of your litter was curled up and is now in the basket. We have lost your address and with great pride are going out on the tiles tonight.
Sincerely, Major Whiskers CAT&bar

Hi Roxie. I love your work. Thank You for liking my poem The Cinema Gunman. These terrible crimes are happening too often. I am for peace and understanding. In our society this is only a dream. Take Care. Malctg

Thanks for the laugh today. I’m glad you can find the humor. I often wonder if people, and you think editors would, read what they write before sending their letters out. I know I’ve been guilty of making mistakes, but this is pretty funny. Good luck with your writing!

All it takes is for good people, smart and caring people, to accept it as the norm. Change it, please. I’m a retired teacher volunteering my time full-time to change the attitude that that’s OK. It’s not!

And everywhere I try to connect, there’s no place for a volunteering teacher who’s at a point where she needs support for just trying different venues and asking them to include a place for her. That’s how incompetence gets a foothold! Honest! Oh, yeah, That goes for the university where I’m an emeritus professor, too.

LOVE THIS! I was about 17 when I got my friend rejection letter. I was really shocked and hurt, afterall, my high creative writing class loved it. hehe. I’m the kind of writer who usually needs an editor at the other end. I’m comforted to learn that at least some of them aren’t quite as careful (being polite) as I’d have expected.

I’ve learned a lot since then, Roxie. I know my voice, know who i am and what i’m capable of. I also know many of my shortcomings. So i’m all good and headed forward. Recently starting writing for an online magazing. irez.me This are ok even with some rejection slips. 😉 Thank you

OMGosh – certainly cause for concern – these flubbers should be looked at as ‘gifts’ and an opportunity to move on to bigger and better venues. Guess they can be looked upon as bitter-sweet moments in life!

I remember a book rejection letter I got from a big house almost two years after beingcasked to submit it that had a huge number of mistakes. It made me smile because the nature of the mistakes made it clear that the editor in question had at least written it personally. It was also clear she had not read the letter I sent with it.

Agreed. In fact, I have finally been convinced by my friends, the well published award winning ones, to just go ahead and publish my most recent book myself. The present state of the publishing industry shows that the lack of desire to take chances and failure to understand the developing nature of the market… oh wait. I’m about to go off on a monologue.

Suffice it to say that your letter (and mine) show deeper issues in the publishing industry than the lack of spell or grammer checking…

Yay, Thomas! Go for it…
so true, the big ones missed the boat, but they’re in it for the bottom dollar, scraping and nudging to get the last morsel from others…you know the celebs who need people like me to make them look intelligent…oh wait did I just say that out loud?

There’s no way I’d submit to those markets again. I could understand leaving out an “a” or “an,” after all, even in a read-through that’s easy to miss. But those are signs of sloppy editing, big time! It’s incredulous that a publishing company would allow those types of mistakes to be sent out. Nice post, it gave me a good laugh. 🙂